In the city of Eridu, a temple that didn't belong to Mesopotamian civilization stood prominently at its center.
It was a classic Mayan pyramid, and at its peak sat the temple of Quetzalcoatl. The god worshipped and offered sacrifices there now stood at the top of the steps, looking down at Shiomi and the others who had made their way through dense jungle and urban streets to reach this place.
Also present was the defected Jaguar Warrior.
Originally a masterless Servant, the Jaguar Warrior had only submitted to Quetzalcoatl under pressure, with no real loyalty—just looking to profit from the arrangement. After being scolded for failing to retrieve the bodies of the feigned-dead soldiers, the Jaguar Warrior quickly reassessed the situation once Shiomi's group entered the jungle and chose to switch sides.
Of course, it might just be a ploy. Shiomi silently speculated.
"Hi~! Welcome to my temple. When I saw you racing straight for Eridu before dawn, I had no choice but to abandon my plan to go to Uruk and kill those soldiers. I've been waiting here just for you—"
Suddenly, Quetzalcoatl's expression shifted to a fierce scowl, her face twisted in anger. "But you actually made me wait here for two whole days! Offending a god like this... I assume you're ready to face the consequences?"
The moment she realized on the first day that they hadn't arrived, Quetzalcoatl understood they were intentionally slowing down, though still clearly en route. Their flashy approach, practically announcing their arrival at Eridu's Sun Temple, left her in a tough spot.
"No helping it. The road's long and rough, not even a carriage can get through," Shiomi replied calmly. He could tell the delay tactic had worked, though it had clearly provoked her. "So, of course, we had to walk."
A fierce battle was unavoidable.
He glanced to the side of the temple. There stood a massive axe—its blade alone rivaled the pyramid in size.
It was the Axe of Marduk, the war god and chief deity in Sumerian mythology.
"Since you weren't just loitering outside Eridu, but were clearly stalling to test my patience—" Quetzalcoatl suddenly dropped her wrathful expression, "I'll kill every last one of you and offer your hearts to this temple~! Then I'll head to Uruk and wipe out everyone there."
She declared her intentions with a dazzling smile. The sun goddess radiated no hatred or fury—just pure killing intent.
"Wipe them all out? Not kill and revive them, then bring them back to Eridu?" Morgan gripped her magic spear, ready to strike at any moment.
"That's something for later," Quetzalcoatl said cheerfully. "Besides, I see a little fool who shouldn't be on your side~!"
She was pointing at the Jaguar Warrior.
"This is bad… If we fight, I'm probably the first to go. I saw that future," the Jaguar Warrior muttered, sniffling, face on the verge of tears—but not trembling.
"YES! I won't hold back on you! I'll rip you to pieces!" Quetzalcoatl still beamed brightly.
Artoria, standing nearby, didn't doubt her for a second. She'd already heard from Shiomi that back in the Age of Myths, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were mortal enemies.
As the Divided Spirit of the latter, the Jaguar Warrior was no exception now that they were on opposing sides.
Seeing everyone draw their weapons—especially the golden-glowing spear in Shiomi's hands—Quetzalcoatl looked even more thrilled.
Thrilled by the chance for a real fight.
"Humans are creatures full of bully potential from head to toe—especially those who stand ahead of all others, stepping toward the next level." Quetzalcoatl descended the stairs slowly, carrying her macuahuitl and shield. "That spear of yours must be a chief god-class weapon, right? No wonder both the goddess and the witch over there are head over heels for you~!"
"I'm not like that with my Master—" Artoria sharply denied the implication.
And besides, she wasn't exactly "head over heels." At most, it was an overwhelming high.
"Whether he became my husband because he could reach the throne of the gods, or he reached it because he became my husband—it doesn't matter." Morgan pointed her magic spear at Quetzalcoatl. "Great power matters, but it's not everything."
"Oh? Even better, then! Humans are strong beings. One day, all of humanity will reach a level where they can stand shoulder to shoulder with 'us'!"
Quetzalcoatl spoke cheerfully, her "us" clearly referring to the gods, herself included.
"I may have lost all memory of the Cretaceous period, but the seeds passed down through generations tell me—I love humanity. I want to coexist with you all! Humanity is the very reason we gods exist!"
"...Master, this goddess is completely enjoying herself. I'm afraid—" Artoria suddenly realized something and whispered a warning.
"I can tell. She joined the Three Goddess Alliance purely for the fun of toying with humans. Like a carefree girl squashing ants." Shiomi's expression darkened.
In that case, there was no point hesitating. The only way to even open a path for dialogue or cooperation was to thoroughly defeat Quetzalcoatl.
"Looks like that's enough chit-chat. From here on out, it's a fight to the death." Quetzalcoatl licked her lips. "I can tell just by looking—you're not the kind of warrior who fights for fun."
Shiomi lowered his stance, legs tense like a drawn bowstring.
"No, I do enjoy it. But what I enjoy is fighting alongside my comrades—it has nothing to do with my enemies."
As his final word fell, he and Quetzalcoatl shot forward like twin comets, colliding midway in a violent explosion.
When he landed, Shiomi had already raised his spear to block the macuahuitl, its obsidian spikes vibrating like a chainsaw. Sparks flew with a searing brilliance.
Shiomi's face was grim, silently clicking his tongue.
Quetzalcoatl, on the other hand, looked even more delighted, still utterly confident.
This was the Sun Temple. Fighting a worshipped chief deity here—of course it would be difficult.
That was why he needed allies. This wasn't a fight to face alone.
"Oh?"
A slight tremor rippled through the ground beneath her feet, momentarily breaking Quetzalcoatl's focus.
The earth cracked open, and branches curled up from below, twining tightly around her legs, holding her fast to the ground.
This level of restraint could be broken with brute strength—so there was more to come.
Artoria leapt high, raising the Holy Sword with both hands, and brought it crashing down toward Quetzalcoatl.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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